Police in India are reporting a disturbing rise in gun violence across the nation in recent years in tandem with the emergence of a gun-rights organization similar to the NRA, according to a new article from the Global Post.

Surprisingly, India is second only to the U.S. in civilian gun ownership, with approximately 40 million firearms, over 5 million of which are thought to be unlicensed. The difference in gun ownership per capita, however, is significant, with only four guns per 100 Indians, compared to a whopping 90 guns per 100 Americans.

Much like the U.S., India’s gun violence follows socio-economic lines: Three of the nation’s most economically depressed states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, account for two-thirds of the nation’s incidents, and an increasing number of firearms are popping up in India’s cities. Accidental shooting deaths from people firing guns into the air have become so common at weddings in the greater Delhi (NCR) area that firearms have been banned by some villages in the region at marriage celebrations. (via Global Post)